Executive Director, Advertising Partnerships

The Guardian is a global, reader-funded news organization that delivers fearless, independent journalism. From breaking news and award-winning investigations, to in-depth coverage of technology, sports, film, culture and lifestyle, the Guardian offers a global view that deepens our audiences’ understanding of America and the world.

The Guardian’s US edition – headquartered in New York City, with growing bureaus in Washington DC and Los Angeles – is an entirely digital operation that combines the best of the Guardian’s international reporting with US voices and expertise. Core coverage areas include the climate emergency, economic and racial inequality, wellness, culture, digital privacy and sports – all highlighting the Guardian’s distinctive role within the US media landscape: journalism that’s global, independent, and free. 

It’s the talent, energy and commitment our people bring to the Guardian that make us who we are. Across our business we have some of the most creative thinkers in media and beyond: award winning journalists, cutting edge commercial teams, digital talent and more.

We are now seeking an Executive Director, Advertising Partnerships to drive revenue through strategic partnerships in CPG, Retail, Food & Beverage sectors. In this role, you will cultivate high-performing, 360 partnerships across multiple revenue streams including, but not limited to, affiliate, programmatic, and content creation. 

Department: Sales

Reports to: Head of Sales

Location: New York

Hybrid/Remote/In-Person: Hybrid (mandatory 2-days in office at minimum)

Terms and conditions: Full-time, permanent

Annual salary range: $200K - $215K, with a commercial incentive

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior commercial leader within the Revenue Organization, setting the strategic vision for partnership growth across CPG, Retail, and Food and Beverage categories while maintaining a strong and influential presence in the marketplace.
• Architect and drive a high-impact partnership strategy that unlocks multi-stream revenue opportunities across affiliate, programmatic, content, experiential, and emerging formats, with a focus on sustainable 5-10 year growth plan.
• Cultivate and expand executive-level relationships with priority clients and holding company agencies, deeply understanding their business challenges and co-creating solutions that position The Guardian US as an indispensable partner.
• Partner cross-functionally with Editorial, Product, Programmatic, Operations, and Marketing to develop innovative, data-informed solutions that elevate The Guardian’s differentiated value in the marketplace.
• Represent The Guardian as a senior ambassador at industry events, thought leadership forums, and high-value client engagements, enhancing visibility and reinforcing our leadership position.
• Deliver accurate, strategic revenue forecasting while providing thought leadership on category trends, competitive intelligence, and long-term portfolio planning to inform organizational decision-making.

• Mentor and influence colleagues across the Commercial team, contributing to a culture of performance, innovation, and collaboration.

   

Key Skills & Qualifications

• 10-15+ plus years of experience in programmatic, content, and affiliate partnerships with a proven record of delivering significant revenue growth at scale.
• Senior-level command of CPG, Retail, and Food and Beverage ecosystems with established, influential relationships across top brands and agencies
• Demonstrated success crafting and executing holistic annual and quarterly business plans rooted in category insights, data analysis, and long-term revenue strategy.
• Deep fluency in full-funnel marketing strategies and the ability to translate client objectives into multi-platform partnership solutions that span content, video, audio, social, experiential, programmatic, and affiliate.
• Proven ability to navigate complex organizations and lead consultative, insight-driven conversations with senior marketing, media, and procurement stakeholders.
• Strong analytical capability with the ability to interpret performance data, optimize ongoing partnerships, and influence both internal and external stakeholders with clear insights and recommendations.
• Experience at a premium news or international media organization preferred, with a strong appreciation for journalism, trust, and audience value as differentiators in the marketplace.

About You

• Relentless and determined contributor that can aggressively prospect with a thoughtful and consultative approach to selling.
• Proven ability to navigate complex, enterprise-level accounts to drive meaningful partnerships across multiple lines of business
• A leader at the organization. Internal stakeholders are inspired to work with and support your success.
• Solutions-oriented and willing to roll your sleeves up to build a deck, pull reporting or create new opportunities that can advance the team’s success.
• Respectful leader who is able to give and receive feedback

How to Apply

We know there are great candidates who might not check all these boxes or who possess important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, we encourage you to apply and tell us about yourself. 

All candidates interested in applying should upload a resume and cover letter.  

All roles at the Guardian are open for everybody to apply. It is important to us that you feel supported and comfortable throughout your recruitment process, in order to perform your best. Please let us know if there are any changes we could make to the application process to make it easier and more comfortable for you. Please email the recruiter listed on the job posting or at recruitment.us@theguardian.com to discuss further so we can work with you to support you through your application.

Compensation and Benefits

• 20 days of vacation leave in addition to 12 company holidays and 2 personal days
• Unlimited sick time
• Free Headspace subscription for you and your family members (Headspace is a company that offers evidence-based meditation and mindfulness tools, mental health coaching, therapy, psychiatry, and EAP services)
• 401(k) Match
• Subsidized healthcare coverage including medical, vision, and dental
• Medical and Dependent Flexible Spending Accounts
• Generous parental leave with 100% pay
• Long Term and Short Term Disability insurance 
• Life insurance 
• Commuter benefits 
• Lifestyle Spending Account
• Work/Life balance: Flexible hybrid schedule 

Culture & Wellbeing

We want everyone to feel like they belong at the Guardian and we champion diversity of thought. You will also have the opportunity to hear unique insight from our journalists in our morning conference, a live discussion on the news story of the day. 

We offer great tools to help you prioritize your wellbeing including a free Headspace subscription and access to an Employee Assistance Program. 

Learning & Development

We encourage personal and professional growth. Employees have access to a broad range of tools and solutions, and we are happy to support the pursuit of professional qualifications through vocational courses and apprenticeships.

Sustainability

Our goal is to become an environmentally regenerative company and we have signed up to a sustainability vision and strategy to reach it. Find more information about sustainability at GNM here.

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The Guardian is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, national origin, ethnic origin, citizenship status, disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law in its employment policies. In addition, the Guardian will provide reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities.

We value and respect all differences (seen and unseen) in all people at the Guardian. We aspire to have inclusive working experiences and an environment that reflects the audience we serve, where our people have equal access to career development opportunities, their voices are heard and can contribute to our future.